Digital transformation is the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business. Digital transformation enables you to fundamentally change how you operate to the benefit of your organisation whilst delivering value to your customers. It also enables agility in your ability to keep pace, or ahead of, your competition.
Whilst the digital world has infiltrated most of our lives, business digital transformation is also about cultural change. This change means that organisations must continually challenge what, how and why they do things. It includes experimentation of systems and devices, and therefore, organisations and their employees need to get comfortable with the failure of such things for the ongoing benefit of the company.
In our fast-paced and ever-improving digital world, digital transformation is imperative for businesses of all sizes to remain competitive and relevant as the world becomes increasingly digital.
Mintivo are happy to discuss the myriad of options that could be suitable for your business. We will assess your needs and outline the best course of action to take. In the meantime, this article will give you a flavour of the importance of keeping up with the exciting world of digital transformation.
Why is digital transformation important to my business?
Digital transformation enables your business to:
- reset your growth strategy to one which is powered by technology
- realigns your organisation to have technology at the heart of its operations
- adopt new practices allowing agility and experimentation to assist with growth and innovation
- create a flexible technology basis to generate exciting and sustainable change
- empower your people to innovate with technology
Whilst digital transformation enables you to do these things, the primary answer to the question is often ‘because you have to’. If your business doesn’t embrace the technologies available to it, it may simply not survive in our digital age.
When the Covid19 pandemic hit, it suddenly became essential to have systems that allowed for easy, effective and secure remote working. Video conferencing became the norm, with Zoom seeing an increase from 10 million daily meetings in December 2019 to 300 million by April 2020. Whilst not exactly planned, this is still an example of Digital Transformation.
Research by global tech giant Accenture found that before the pandemic, organisations which were embracing technology were growing twice as fast as those who were not. Since the pandemic, they have found that businesses that are investing in digital transformation are growing five times as fast as those who are not.
What does a Digital Transformation Framework look like?
Ideally, Digital Transformation is a considered and planned process and is usually created via a Framework. Areas such as the current challenges and demands that your organisation is experiencing should be considered together with how implementing a digital solution could add benefit to you, any stakeholders and in particular, your clients.
Frameworks will ensure that all impacted areas are scrutinised and discussed. Thinking, planning, and building digitally sets you up to be agile, flexible, and ready to grow, but unless you set up initially with this sort of thinking, it is often necessary to take a step back before being able to move forward.
A digital transformation framework is the blueprint for the organisation’s journey through a period of significant change. Used as a tool, the framework can be used across the organisation and it will aim to guide all levels within the organisation every step of the way.
Many believe that digital transformation frameworks should be built around the following key areas:
- Customer experience
- Operational agility
- Culture and leadership
- Employee and user involvement
- Digital technology integration
What are the downsides of Digital Transformation?
The biggest downside in our world of digital business is not carrying out Digital Transformation!
That said, disruption may be cited by some as the main downside, but it is considered a necessary ‘evil’ in order to enable business growth and sustainability.
The costs of both time and delivery of the training needed to assist users utilising any new systems will also need to be taken into consideration. There may also need to be work undertaken to integrate new and existing systems as seamlessly as possible.
The customer experience needs to be at the top of the list within any digital transformation framework as it is possible to lose clients if this has not been fully thought through or well-executed. Clear and positive communication with your clients and partners is vital. Done correctly, clients should see the benefit and grow their relationship with you.
How to make Digital Transformation successful
Successful digital transformation requires a variety of coordinated actions. As above, a framework is key, together with a view of your overall business operations. It may appear to be easier to initially focus on one key part of your business, however, this may lead to issues with integration down the line. By taking a more holistic approach and considering the bigger picture, you are more likely to achieve success.
To achieve success with Digital Transformation, you should consider a roadmap which outlines the solutions and resources needed to deliver the changes required. This includes the resources that will be needed to deliver the project, internal and external teams. It is also important to ensure there are clear communication channels in place covering all areas of the organisation.
Incorporating distributed technology in your digital transformation will allow your teams to innovate independently, with access to the central data, applications and tools they need. By deploying appropriate technologies to individual users you will provide the flexibility and agility to ensure your organisation is best placed to cope with change. Digital Transformation works best with a model that can focus down on individual groups of users as well as scale up and adapt.
Historically, any adoption of technology was a linear process. Having detailed requirements, solutions would be developed, testing carried out and then the end user trained. Successful Digital Transformations take this a step further, following a process which ensures the full value potential is considered. Robust adoption and change management processes need to be in place. Co-ordinated planning and implementation across all of the above areas will ensure that your Digital Transformation projects will be successful.
How can Mintivo help?
Minitvo’s team of experts would be delighted to discuss your ideas as to how you want to incorporate Digital Transformation into your business. We can help you plan what is best for your entire operation, advising on the tools and talent required. Why not give us a call today to start your Digital Transformation journey?
